Literary Birthday – 6 August – Conor McPherson

Happy Birthday, Conor McPherson, born 6 August 1971

Five Quotes

If I wasn’t plagued by needing to write things, that would perhaps be a blessing.

I’m living as an artist, and that’s a staggering feeling, it’s a total luxury. And because you have this amazing chance, with so much freedom, I’m determined to make something that is worth that. I feel this responsibility – to create something that makes an audience feel, which takes them somewhere. But that’s very hard to achieve.

We know so little of the why, what the universe is, what infinity is. The veil around us is very fragile.

The young person isn’t certain that love can be real; the middle-aged man is only discovering that it is; and the older person seems so sure of it. I was interested in the way that many of us go through the whole of our lives staying with someone just out of complacency, because leaving isn’t easy.

I just want the actors to put their faith in the language. Just let the words do the work.

Conor McPherson is an award-winning Irish playwright and director. He is the author of The Seafarer. Others include The Weir, Dublin Carol, Shining City, and Port Authority.